Soul Mates
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: "No matter how many times we meet, no matter what lives we lead, all I have to do is look into your eyes and I always find my home." Naruhina oneshots.
1. Confession in The Forest

**A/N: This prompt just came to me and I had to write it. It's probably OOC but I don't care. I'm on a roll right now with these one shots and I have to answer to the call of my muse. When she says, "Write this before you forget it!" it usually tends to be a good story. Anyway, read on, Naruhina shippers. :D**

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 _Hinata practices confessing her feelings to Naruto and he accidentally walks in and hears it._

* * *

"Naruto-kun...I _love_ you!"

"Naruto-kun...I love **you**!"

"I've **always** loved you, Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto-kun, you're the **only** one for me! I love you!"

"My feelings for you are _very_ strong, Naruto-kun. They have been growing ever since I was a child."

"Ugh! How do I say it?!" Hinata buried her face in her hands and sat on the tree stump behind her. She'd loved and admired Naruto for many years and after much deliberation, she'd decided to tell him how she felt.

It was simply impossible for her to hide the truth about her feelings for him any longer. Now, if only she could say it the right way!

Perhaps it would be silly to some that Hinata was in the forest, practicing how she was going to reveal this to Naruto, but everything had to go perfectly. She told him to meet her in the forest at three o'clock because she had something very important to tell him. This wasn't a confession that needed to be told in front of an audience.

Hinata had purposely arrived at the rendezvous an hour earlier so she could find the right way to phrase the words before Naruto came. So far, she was at a loss on how she should go about it.

The blue-haired kunoichi looked up at the sun. From its placement, she could tell that it would be three very soon. "Come on, Hinata! You can do this!" Standing up, the girl took in a deep breath.

Just speak from the heart.

"Naruto-kun, I'll never forget the first time I met you. Some boys from the village were bullying me and you came to stop them. I remember how awful I felt, seeing them hurt you and being taken away while you lie there in the ground. I felt so ashamed...but the first time I felt like I could do anything was when you encouraged me that day of the Chunin Exams when I fought Neji. Even though I lost to him, I never forgot how you swore to defeat him in my stead. You've always been so steadfast and encouraging to me. You've inspired me more than anyone I've ever known. I used to be such a big crybaby and was afraid of everything, but time and time again, you have given me the strength I need to carry on. I started out as just admiring you, but my feelings have grown so much since then and now I...I love you."

Tears slid down Hinata's cheeks when she finished, as she was simply overwhelmed by her confession. If only Naruto were here!

"Hinata?"

The kunoichi froze in place and slowly turned around until she was face to face with the boy she loved.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

He stepped forward, eyes wide with surprise. "Do I really mean that much to you?"

She blushed and looked down at the ground. Why did she feel so faint? Struggling to keep it together, Hinata's lavender eyes snapped up to gaze right back in Naruto's blue ones. "Y-yes, you do..."

The poor girl was horribly embarrassed at his finding out this way. What would he do now that everything was all out in the open? Afraid of being rejected, Hinata quickly spoke. "B-but that doesn't mean you have to feel the s-same way, Naruto-kun. I don't expect you to return my feelings."

The tears had begun pooling in her eyes again and Hinata felt like running away to escape this situation. Just when she was ready to turn and go back to the village, she felt a light pressure on her cheek.

Startled, the girl stared at the blonde ninja in shock. "N-Naruto-kun...? D-did you just kiss me?"

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I did. I can't say that I feel the same way, Hinata, but..." Something flashed in his eyes and he took one of her hands in his. "I do like you...a lot. Maybe one day, I can even learn to love you back as well."

Hinata's cheeks were bright as a tomato from this sudden display of affection. She thought that she might be in a dream of having a strangely realistic fantasy. In all of her hopes and wishes, she never imagined that Naruto Uzumaki, her Naruto, would say such things to her.

"Naruto-kun...you-you..." She wobbled a little and in a few seconds, she was falling to the ground. Naruto caught her before she fell, though and he shook his head.

"Ah, Hinata." He brushed strands of hair away from her face and smiled down at her unconscious form. "I hope you get over this fainting stuff soon. It's hell on our conversations." Then he scooped the Hyuuga Princess up in his arms and carried her back to the village.

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 **Bless poor Hinata's heart. All of that fainting can't be good for the body. Haha! XD**


	2. By Moonlight

_Naruto needs to ask Hinata an important question._ Modern day AU.

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Hinata was just about to lie down for bed when her little sister, Hanabi, knocked on her bedroom door.

"Hinata?"

"Yes, Hanabi?"

"Um, Naruto Uzumaki wants to see you."

"He wants to see me? _Now_...?"

"He was very adamant about it. He said it's important."

The blue haired Hyuuga scratched her forehead and looked at the clock on her nightstand. The time was currently 12:08 and for Hinata, it was a bit late, even for an important social call.

"Alright...I'm put on my robe and be down there in a bit. Thank you, Hanabi."

"No problem. Well, I'm off to bed now. Good night, Hinata."

"Good night, Hanabi." Hinata gave her sister a hug and went over to her bed and donned her robe.

Moments later, she was outside in the front yard, waiting for Naruto to appear. "Naruto? Naruto? Where are you?"

Two hands grabbed Hinata from behind and she squealed, kicking her legs out. "Ahh! Let me go!"

"Shh! Hinata, it's me! Lower your voice or you'll wake your dad up! I definitely don't need him to see us like this."

The blue haired girl calmed her breathing and placed her hands on his. "Naruto, you can't sneak up on me like that! You scared me!" She pulled his hands from her stomach, trying not to miss the warmth of his skin.

The blonde chuckled sheepishly. "Eh, sorry, Hinata. I wasn't thinking."

Hinata resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead, opting for a small shake of her head. Naruto was a usually charismatic and excitable person who was known for playing pranks on people and shocking them, herself included. It was a very annoying habit, but he had a tenacious spirit that drove him to do his best, so she really couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"It's alright, Naruto. Now what is so important that you couldn't have waited to tell me tomorrow?" She crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders. It was a bit more chilly than she'd expected it to be.

Naruto grinned and stuck his hands in his jean pockets. For once in his life, he seemed...a little flustered, maybe even nervous too. That was interesting, as he tend to be one of the most boisterous and outgoing people in all of Konoha.

"You know the dance at school tomorrow?"

"Yes..."

"Are you going?"

That was the reason he wanted to speak to her? The school dance? Hinata crossed her arms and sighed. "Neji told me that I need to get out more and have fun, so I'm going with he and Ten Ten. Although, I really don't want to."

The blonde moved a little closer and leaned against the wall of the house. "Why not?"

Hinata bit her lip. Naruto was one of her best friends and he understood her better than anyone. She knew he wouldn't judge her because of the way she felt, but it struck her that she was being a little selfish.

"Have you ever heard of the saying _'three's a crowd'_?"

"Hm, no. I don't think so."

"It means that having three people spend time together is too many. A couple is perfect for dinners and professional outings, even casual things like school dances. But a third person would always feel awkward because he or she are all alone with no one as their date. It's worse for me because Neji and Ten Ten are dating now and even though they're trying to be nice, I'd just feel like a tag-along or a burden for them." She sighed once she finished talking. Now he knew why she didn't want to attend the dance.

"Go with me."

At this, Hinata's head popped up. "What did you say?"

Naruto smiled and came nearer, taking her hand in his. "You can go with me. I don't have anyone I wanted to ask anyway and we're best friends, so it makes sense if we'd go together. That way, neither of us will feel alone or worried that we're butting in on other people. C'mon, Hinata. What do you say?"

Naruto Uzumaki was asking her out to the school dance? It was kind of like he was asking her out! This only happened in Hinata's dreams, and not that often too! The blonde boy never knew that his blue haired best friend had a crush on him. She'd liked him ever since they first met as toddlers, but as they grew older, Hinata was afraid that Naruto would laugh off her feelings for him, so she kept them to herself.

"A-are you sure you want to go with me, Naruto? I'm sure there are plenty of girls who would go with you if you asked them."

Naruto shook his head and smiled at her. The silly girl didn't get it. "Hinata...you don't understand. I don't want to go with any other girl. I want to go with you."

"You do?" Hinata's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in an undignified manner. She began fluttering her eyelids and Naruto was hoping to God that she wasn't about to faint. Every time something shocking or amazing happened concerning Naruto, she was prone to faint over it.

Perhaps it was flattering in a way, but also very distracting. He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them. "Hey, do me a favor and stay conscious, alright?"

"I'm not going to faint, Naruto." There was an indignant sound in her voice when she spoke and it made Naruto smirk.

"Good. Because it gets tiring for me to have to keep catching you every time you pass out."

Hinata blushed and huffed, pushing him away. If he wanted to be a jerk, he could go to the stupid dance all by himself! "Good night, Naruto." Then she turned to go back inside the house, but he pulled her back.

"Hey, Hinata, wait a minute!"

Hinata tried to shrug him off, but lost her footing and when he pulled her, she slipped and they both fell to the ground. It was a clumsy fall, with Hinata lying on Naruto's chest. He put his arms around her and maneuvered his body to hit the ground so she would fall on him and not get hurt.

Naruto groaned and looked down at the young girl on his chest. "You okay?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Just a little winded, but I'm fine."

She nodded. "Well, then, I'm off." She started to get up, but Naruto's hold tightened on her wrists.

"Dammit. Would you **stop** for a second?"

Hinata's eyes narrowed and she angrily poked Naruto's chest with her fingernails. "Why should I? You've made it very clear that my fainting 'annoys' you and I'd hate to be such a problem of embarrassment for you. So I'm going to bed!" She struggled against him, trying to push off him.

Naruto growled, "Why are you so impossibly stubborn?" Then he pressed his lips to hers.

A surprised squeak left Hinata's lips and she pushed him once more, but the strength on her arms had ebbed away. After the shock at feeling her best friend's lips touching her own, Hinata moaned and tangled her hands in his hair.

As for Naruto, he gripped her hips and flipped them so she was now under him. Reluctantly, he lifted his lips from hers and gave her a sly grin. "Do you get the idea now?"

The blue haired girl looked up at him with eyes full of wonder. "You l-like me, Naruto?"

"Of course I do! I always have! You know me. I'm awkward around girls, but with you, it's easier to be...I dunno, natural, I guess. I like being myself around you." He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Then, I'd be happy to go to the dance with you, Naruto!" Hinata sat up and hugged the blonde, happy that he returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying this feeling of intimacy.

Naruto groaned when he opened his eyes. It was late and he was keeping her up longer than she needed to be. "Hey, we'll talk more tomorrow. You need sleep, so let me get you in to bed."

Hinata's eyes bugged out of their sockets and she stared at him. Naruto blanched when he realized what he'd just said and covered his mouth with his hand. "Sorry! Sorry! That's not what I meant at all! I meant, um, I'll let you **go** to bed!"

He was so cute with his wild gesturing and frantic hand movements. Most people just ignored him when he got like this, but Hinata loved this energetic side of her best friend. She grasped his hand, getting his attention.

"Naruto...you're right. It is late, so why don't you come up to my room?"

His dumbstruck facial expression was hilarious. "Wha-you want me to sleep with you? In your room?"

Giggling, she tugged him into moving forward towards the house. "Yes, but not for that. I mean to sleep, silly."

A brief disappointed look showed on his face, but he quickly replaced it with a neutral one. "Right. I knew that."

Hinata opened the front door and closed it very quietly. "We have to be very quiet because it wouldn't be good if Dad caught us tip-toeing around."

Naruto gulped and didn't respond to that. Hiashi Hyuuga was a scary man. If he found Hinata walking around the house with a boy, best friend or not, Naruto was sure that he is goose would be cooked.

They didn't speak until they reached Hinata's room and she locked the door.

"Um, Hinata, won't your dad want to know why your door is locked?"

"No. He's used to it. I always lock my door at night because I sleep in the nude." She tossed her robe on a chair and slid under the warm covers. When she didn't feel the bed dip again, she looked up. Naruto stood there, staring at her.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?"

"Y-you sleep naked?"

Hinata couldn't help the sultry grin that spread across her face. Naruto really was adorable. "Yes, but don't worry. I'm wearing shorts and a tank top tonight. I decided to sleep in clothes, so you're in luck."

As he took off his pants, Naruto mumbled something about that being a damn shame and he got into bed with her. Once he settled under the covers, she laid her head on his chest. "Don't worry about getting caught. I always wake up earlier than father and Hanabi, so I can help you sneak out of here before anyone sees you."

Naruto's hand touched hers and his other was draped over her shoulder. This was a comfortable position for them both and he found his eyes drooping. Before he fell asleep, he felt Hinata's soft lips kiss his cheek and she whispered, "Good night, Naruto."


	3. No Matter What

_Naruto and Hinata talk about sex and what it means to their relationship._

 _._

 _Or Hinata flutters and squeals all over herself as Naruto proves that he is the perfect boyfriend._

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Hinata yawned and stretched on the bed in Naruto's apartment. She groaned and rolled over, smiling when she looked at her boyfriend, who just so happened to be awake and looking at her as well.

"Good morning, Naruto," she said sweetly.

" 'Morning, Hina. How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you. I appreciate you letting me stay here. I hope I didn't cause you any problems sleeping because I do tend to talk in my sleep..."

The blonde shook his head and took her hand in his, lacing it in his own. "No. I slept perfectly fine, Hina. You didn't bother me one bit. You could _never_ bother me."

The blue haired girl blushed and looked at their entwined fingers shyly. "N-Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that we could do this more often?"

"Sure!"

"Oh, that's good because I was thinking that the next time, we should sleep with no clothes on!"

Naruto's eyes grew as wide as two gold pieces. There was no way that his sweet, innocent girlfriend just said that. He must not have heard her correctly. "Um...hehe, could you say that again, Hina?"

The girl smiled at him and replied, "I think the next time we sleep together, we should do it naked."

 _"Holy shit!"_ Naruto scrambled out of bed and out his hand on his heart, staring down at her in shock. "Hina, are you crazy?! We cuddled last night and now you want to have **sex**?"

A red blush grew on Hinata's face and she sat up, bending her knees to her body. "Well, yes. Isn't that the next step in a relationship?"

"Er, only if you want it to be. Where is this coming from? It's not like you to be so, uh... _forward_."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, is that bad?"

Naruto saw the look of fear in Hinata's eyes and he came back to the bed, taking her hand in his again. "No, there's nothing wrong with being assertive, Hina. It's just...this is pretty sudden. I mean, we've only been dating for two months. I would've thought you'd want to take things slow between us."

"Well, I do, but...I don't want you to leave me."

"Leave you? What are you talking about?"

Hinata bit her lip for a moment, silently hoping that he wouldn't take this the wrong way. "Well, Sakura told me that, unless we have sex, our relationship isn't real and you could leave me because I'm not doing my job."

Naruto's eyes flashed and he growled angrily. So Sakura Haruno had been telling his girlfriend lies again, eh? Typical! The pink haired idiot just did not know when to leave well enough alone. Naruto made a note to give her a piece of his mind when he saw her at the hospital today.

"Ow! N-Naruto, you're hurting my hand..." Hinata winced and tugged on him to get his attention.

He blinked in surprise and loosened his gold on her hand. "Shit! I'm sorry, Hina!" Naruto rubbed her fingers gently and kissed the knuckles. Then he held her chin up so their eyes met.

"Listen, I'm not going to say I'm perfect, but I do want to be a good boyfriend for you, so I'm going to be honest with you on a few things. Do I want to have sex with you? Yes, but right now, I want to focus on the intimacy of our relationship without bringing sex into the equation. I want us to get to know each other more as people before we do something like that. There's nothing that says you're obligated to have sex with me because we're in a relationship. I didn't get involved with you just to get into your pants."

At this, Hinata blushed again and started to look away, but Naruto took her head in his hands. "Hina, I want you to know that I would **never** leave you. Ever. I care too much for you to ditch you like that. Whatever Sakura told you is a lie. She doesn't know the first thing about me, okay? I'm **not** Sasuke. I'm not going to treat you like garbage for years and dump you when I'm 'finished' with you. I'm in this for the long haul, alright?"

Hinata listened to Naruto in rapt attention and she nodded. "Yes, I understand."

Naruto smirked and moved a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Besides, I was thinking that, maybe we could move to that stage of our relationship after we get married."

Those lovely lavender eyes shot up and stared into Naruto's in shock. "Y-you mean it?!"

It was impossible not to smile at Hinata's squeal.

"Hell, yeah, I mean it. We've spent nearly every day together these last two months. Your family likes me and everyone keeps telling us that we'd look great as a married couple, so why not? I was never dating you for fun, Hina. I've been _courting_ you."

Tears began to slide down the girl's face and she threw herself into her boyfriend's arms. "Do you really mean that?"

Naruto rubbed her back and kissed her cheek tenderly. "I do. You already know that I love you and I...I just know that you're the one. I can't see myself with anyone else and I don't want to, either. You're the girl for me, Hina."

"Oh, Naruto!" Hinata squeezed him tightly and cried, the wetness from her cheeks dampening his shirt, but he didn't care. He was in the arms of the girl who loved him and that was the only thing that mattered.

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 **I personally believe in waiting to have sex until after marriage. However, for this story, I decided to use that kind of subject to push the story in the direction I wanted it to go.**


	4. Birthday Surprise

**A/N: I'd like to address the guest reviewer (Megumi) who felt that I was bashing Sasuke and Sakura in my previous one shot. I don't bash characters to make others look good - no one needs to do that in Hinata and Naruto's case. Whenever a character in any of my stories is spoken about or portrayed as a jerk, moron, antagonist, etc., it's because that's the direction the story is going. I am not a person who believes that there is a character who's above being portrayed badly. On the contrary, I like portraying likable characters as unlikable. It's called 'experimenting' and many writers do this in their work. I do like some characters over others, yes, but unless otherwise stated, I do not personally bash characters in my stories. It's the characters themselves that do it. If a character is not shown favorably, it's not necessarily because I dislike them - even though, sometimes, I do; I'm not gonna lie. Rest assured that every character will someday get their chance to shine as a villain or a hero in my fics. I understand that for a lot of fans - particularly fangirls - we can get ridiculously obsessive or angry if we feel someone is unfairly portraying a character we like. However, you must remember that this is fanfiction. It's only make believe and there are many stories many in fandoms that you won't like or care for. Such is the way of life. If we writers just wrote fanfiction only to make you smile and feel all gooey inside, then we wouldn't have many interesting stories to tell, now would we? ;)**

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 _Naruto gives Hinata a gift to commemorate their one year anniversary._ Modern day AU.

* * *

"Naruto, how long do I have to keep my eyes closed?"

"Just a little bit longer, Hinata. Just be patient. I promise this'll be worth it."

"Alright..." The blue haired female walked side by side with her boyfriend as he held her hand and guided her into the forest behind her house. Hinata didn't believe that he was going to play a prank on her or scare her the way he used to do when they were younger.

Naruto had changed a lot from his years as a child. When he was a little boy, he used to be an annoyance to the people of Konoha. Because he lost his parents at such a young age, the boy had grown up wanting love and acceptance from people. Unfortunately, he seldom received it, so he would act out to get it.

The good thing was that Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya, raised him and gave him the fatherly affection that he needed. Although, everyone in Konoha knew that Jiraiya had a seriously perverted mind - he wrote a large series of erotic novels called Ichi Ichi Paradise - he never exposed Naruto to any of that. Tsunade, a woman who had also taken Naruto under her wing as a godmother, would have killed Jiraiya if he'd gotten the boy into some of the stuff Jiraiya was involved with.

Tsunade provided Naruto with the motherly influence that he needed from a woman. The boy always called her _'Granny Tsunade'_ , which never ceased to drive the woman crazy, but she allowed him to call her that anyway. She knew that he had it hard, losing his parents at such a young age and she had a soft spot for the boy, so she allowed it.

Hinata had also had a soft spot for Naruto. When she was eight years old, three boys bullied her and took her scarf. Naruto came upon them and tried to fight the boys off, but, as they outnumbered him, they easily beat him up. Hinata had felt bad about what happened to him and she took him home to her father, Hiashi, telling him how the brave boy had come to her rescue.

From that moment on, Naruto remained in good standing with the Hyuuga family and became a close friend of Hinata as well. Secretly, the girl had developed feelings for Naruto, but she didn't tell him because she lacked the courage to do it. All of her friends, Sakura, Ino, TenTen, Temari and even her little sister, Hanabi had encouraged her at different times to tell him how she felt.

Still, Hinata refused to budge. She would always lie and say that she was happy to be Naruto's friend - of course, there would always be tuts and scoffs when she said this. They had a great friendship that Hinata valued and she wouldn't trade that for anything more - also a lie.

Hanabi would sometimes talk to Hinata and ask her if she was sure that she could handle just being friends with Naruto.

"You know, he's really started to grow up and stop being as juvenile as he used to be as a kid. If you're not careful some other girl may show up and sweep him off his feet. Hinata...please, just make sure that what you decide is fair to the both of you. I'd hate for you to see him with someone else and suffer your feelings for him alone. Nobody deserves that."

Deep down, Hinata knew that her little sister was right. The girl always had an interesting, yet understandable view of things. Hinata had been writing in her journal about Naruto. Writing in one's journal about one's crush was cathartic in a way, but it only did so much. A journal couldn't talk back to you. It couldn't give you any advice or hug you and tell you that everything was going to be okay. A journal was just an inanimate object.

But Naruto...Naruto wasn't like a journal. He was a living, breathing human being who cared about her and Hinata knew there was no way he would purposely hurt her. He may not return her feelings, but if that was so, they could still preserve their friendship. After all, he was close to her family and Hinata knew that Naruto wouldn't cease being a friend of the Hyuuga clan simply because Hinata liked him.

Certainly, they might have a few awkward moments around each other after she told him, but that would go away in time, and things would go back to the way they were before in due time. So, after six years of harbouring her feelings for Naruto, Hinata told him on the night of her birthday party.

She had just turned fifteen years old and her father threw a celebration in her honour. Hinata wasn't one for big parties and what-not, but she knew how to be polite and accommodating to all of the people who came. As she opened her presents, in the back of her mind was the reminder of Naruto and telling him how she felt.

When it was midnight, the party was declared to be over, and Hinata decided not to waste any more time. She said goodbye to her guests, took Naruto by the hand and led him behind the house and to the little patch of woods. They didn't stop walking until they reached the little swing that hung from Hinata's favourite tree.

This spot was her hiding place, her safe haven when she needed a moment alone and away from people. It was here that Hinata told Naruto how she felt about him and, to her joy, he told her that he felt the same way. They both sat on the swing and shared a tender kiss, which didn't last long since the rope tore and the swing crashed to the ground.

Naruto and Hinata had fallen in a clumsy heap on the floor. Their legs were all tangled up together in a funny way and they couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up from their lungs. Once they caught their mutual breaths, they kissed again and this time, nothing interrupted the moment.

Fast forward a year later and it was Hinata's birthday again. However, this time, she celebrated it in a quiet dinner with her closest friends and Naruto, who was now her boyfriend. After they came back to the Hyuuga home, Naruto told Hinata that he had a surprise for her and to close her eyes. She did as he asked, curious to what the surprise would be.

They had only been walking for about a couple of minutes when he finally stopped walking and tugged her hand, letting her know that they'd arrived at their destination.

"Okay, Hina. You can open your eyes now," he whispered in her ear.

She did as he said, blinking several times as her vision adjusted to the darkening sky. In front of her was the little path in the forest behind her house that she loved to go to when she needed to escape from the world.

Hinata had brought Naruto here before many times when she felt like venting or telling him something important, so he was familiar with the place. What she didn't understand was why he brought her here? She opened her mouth to ask when her lavender eyes caught a glimpse of something hanging from her favourite tree.

She stepped forward, peering down at the object and gasped when she realized what it was. "Naruto! You made me another swing?" She put her hand to her lips and turned back to look at him in astonishment.

The grin on his face was big enough to move mountains. Naruto walked over to her and took her hand in his. "Yeah. I did. I know you said that you didn't care about getting another swing, but I figured since this place has special value to the both of us," - he held her hand up and pressed his lips to it - "I might as well put another swing up and bring back good memories from our first kiss."

Naruto walked over to the swing and sat on it, patting the wood in front of him. "Come on. There's enough room for the both of us. I made sure of it. There's no way this swing is going to break."

The blue haired girl smiled and sat down on the swing, facing her boyfriend. Once she was situated, he used his foot to give the swing a little push and they began moving back and forth.

Hinata entwined her fingers with Naruto's and squeezed them. "Thank you so much for this. You're the best boyfriend a girl could ever ask for. I had no idea you could be so sentimental."

"Disappointed?" He asked, but with a smirk.

"Of course not. I may not have expected this, but this is the best surprise birthday gift I've ever had. When did you find time to make it?"

"Oh, when you went on your family vacation to China."

Hinata gasped. "Three months ago! That makes so much sense. Neji, father and Hanabi had a hard time keeping me away from the forest. They were always telling me that there were a bunch of snakes back here and father wanted me to stay away until they were gotten rid of." The girl shook her head and laughed.

Naruto cocked his head. "What's so funny?"

"My whole family knew about this and you still managed not to let it slip out to someone? I'm really proud of you, Naruto. You're making leaps and bounds every day." The laughter turned into an express fit of hard giggles.

"Hey! That's not fair. I'm not a gossip or anything. Unlike some people, I can actually keep a secret. I know I used to be bad about that kind of thing before, but not now. You have to remember that it's you we're talking about, Hina. Keeping a secret for **you** so I could see that smile on your face when you find out? I could do that with a million times over and have no problem with it."

The look in Hinata's eyes softened and she caressed his cheek. "I'm happy that you're such a romantic, Naruto. I guess there's hope for anything to happen in this world."

"Damn right about that."

Naruto took Hinata's face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was heady and passionate, a lot different than the little pecks and smooches they'd shared the last year. And the best thing about the moment? This time, the swing didn't break.


	5. Ramen Relief

**A/N: After the fluffy stories I've done, I decided to go more for a humorous this time than an outright romance, but there's still plenty of cuteness in this story to enjoy. :D**

* * *

 _Naruto has run out of ramen and Hinata decides to help._

* * *

"Augh! How could this happen?! How?!" Loud sounds of crashing filled the apartment next to Hinata's and she cringed, wondering what in the world was going on over there.

 _Maybe Naruto just found out some terrible news,_ she thought to herself. Maybe I can provide some comfort to him. The blue haired girl put her hair in a ponytail and went over to her neighbour's front door, knocking on the wood tentatively.

After a few moments, Naruto opened the door and widened his eyes. "Oh...Hinata. I, uh, I'm sorry if I disturbed you with all of the noise."

Even though she liked Naruto, Hinata wasn't going to lie and say that he didn't disturb her, because he did. She was cooking her lunch and the racket he was making made it hard for her to pay attention to what she was doing. This visit wasn't just to see what was wrong. It was for her sanity as well.

"Um, you were pretty loud, Naruto."

The blond laughed sheepishly and scratched his neck. The door widened and he stepped outside. "I ran out of ramen..."

Of course he did. Hinata shook her head at her friend and a little giggle escaped from her lips. "Silly me. I should have known that your anguish had something to do with ramen."

Naruto blushed and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I do get a bit carried away when it comes to ramen."

"Because you love it so much," she responded teasingly.

"That's not true. Ramen is great and I do love it, but the way I feel about it is nothing compared to the way I feel about...some people."

Hinata's breathing grew shallow and she looked into Naruto's eyes. There was a tenderness in his gaze when he'd said that and it made her wonder...

She'd have to think about that gaze and what it may or may not have meant later. Right now, she had a mission. "Well, that's good. People are very important." She moved a strand of hair away from her face, smiling up at him.

He sniffed and crinkled his brow. "Hey, are you cooking something?"

The blue haired girl gasped and turned back to her apartment. "My lunch!" She sped back into her apartment and stopped in the kitchen, quickly removing a medium-sized pot of the stovetop. Hinata took off the lid and waved the air in front it.

"Did you burn it?" Naruto had walked in after her and closed the door.

Hinata picked up a spoon and dipped it into the food, blowing on it for several seconds, then tasting it. "Mm-mm. It's edible."

"What were you making? Soup?"

"No. Ramen, actually."

"Wha?" Naruto went to the kitchen and stared down into the pot Hinata was stirring. There was ramen in the pot, as well as tomatoes, leeks, strips of beef, green onions, fried egg and mushrooms. Never in his life had Naruto seen such a delicious sight.

"Damn, Hinata. I never knew you were a cook. Or that you liked ramen..."

"Yes. I like to experiment sometimes. I was supposed to go to a restaurant with a friend, but she came down with the flu, so I decided to eat in today and make myself a meal." She noticed Naruto's borderline lusty expression as he stared down into the pot. A small smile curved her lips. She dipped the spoon into the broth again, scooping up a little meat and vegetables, holding it to his lips.

"What do you think?" She asked him, expectantly.

Naruto's eyes widened in anticipation and he blew on the food for a half second before engulfing the spoon with his mouth. He chewed and hummed appreciatively. The heat from the broth warmed him as it went down his belly and he sighed in ecstasy. "It's amazing, Hinata."

"I was hoping you'd think so. Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to join me?"

"Huh? You want me to eat with you?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes. I'd rather not eat all by myself, and since we're friends and you ran out of ramen, I figured this would be a win-win for both of us. Unless you don't want to..."

"Whoa! No way would I ever turn a good bowl of ramen down! I'll stay!"

It was hard to keep a calm facial expression when she was a screaming mess on the inside. Hinata smiled and motioned to the cupboard. "Alright, you know where the bowls and the silverware is. If you set two places on the table, I'll take care of the ramen and the drinks."

The young man was reinvigorated with a pep in his step as he sprung into action. "Sure, Hinata!"

Within a few moments, the table was set and both adults were about to sit down and eat. Before Hinata could sit down, Naruto leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She blinked in surprise and stared at him.

"What did you do that for?"

"To thank you for inviting me over to eat with you. You didn't have to do it, but you did anyway and I just wanted to tell you that I'm grateful." The bashful look in his eyes made her heart swell with affection.

Hinata touched Naruto's cheek and kissed it softly. "I could never turn you away when you're in need, Naruto. I'd share anything with you..." She blushed and looked down at the table.

Naruto's lips parted and he smiled. "So would I, Hina."

She nudged him, trying to draw his attention away from her blush. "Lunch will get cold."

"Right! No one likes cold ramen!" He held out her chair and pushed her up to the table before seating himself opposite her.

Hinata watched Naruto as he tore through his ramen. It was really adorable to see him eat so ravenously. Many people would think it was disgusting, but she thought it was nice.

Every now and then, Naruto would look up and grin at her, telling her how amazing the food was. The proud gaze that he sent her made her feel good about herself. Then Hinata silently decided to make her own ramen once a week and invite Naruto over to share it with her.

The way to a man's heart **was** through his stomach, after all.


	6. The Perils of Being A Roommate

**A/N: Contains sassy, assertive Hinata. Because she deserves it. ❤️**

* * *

 _Hinata and Naruto share the same bed tonight their roommates are getting it on in Sakura's bed and they'd keep Hinata up all night otherwise._

* * *

"Oh, Sasuke! Yes! There! Ahhh!"

"Mmgh, Sakura, I'm so close!"

This was too much. **Far** too much. Those two had been going at it for God knows how long. Hinata had the misfortune to be awakened by the call to nature and after she came out of the bathroom, that was when the voices made their way into her head.

The moans and damn near screams from the two lovers made it impossible for Hinata to get any sleep. She had tried her best, but to no avail. For some reason, she could sleep through anything, a tree falling, thunderstorms, her freaking loud alarm clock, but if someone was having wild sex in the room next to hers, sleep always managed to elude her.

This time, she'd had enough.

Hinata picked up her pillow, her fruit embroidered quilt and walked out, slamming the door to her dorm room. Once she was outside, she stomped across the hall to Sasuke and Naruto's apartment. She knocked loudly on the door, making sure that Naruto could her her knuckles tapping on the hard wood.

Seconds later, the sound of footsteps and a deadbolt unlocking reached her ears. The door opened and Naruto's sleepy and handsome face - how did he always manage to look so fine after waking up? - appeared in her line of vision. He yawned and rubbed his head. "Are they at it again?"

"Yes," she replied with a growl as she stepped into the warm apartment.

Naruto rolled his eyes and led the way to his bedroom. "I swear, those two go through a box of condoms in less than a day. You'd think that we're on holiday or something."

"I know! They make me sick. I mean, they can do whatever they damn well please, but do they seriously have to have sex in the same dorm as me? I can't sleep through that ruckus. Freaking inconsiderate." Hinata grumbled and tossed her pillow on Naruto's bed, then she sat on it and covered her body with her fluffy pillow.

Naruto climbed into bed beside her and put his arm around her, letting her lie back against him and feel his warmth. This was the third time this week that Hinata had been forced to retreat to his bed because of their roommates' late night activities and Naruto had no problem with that.

In all seriousness, though, Sasuke and Sakura were cramping any chance for Naruto and Hinata to consummate themselves. It seemed like every time they looked around, their horny roommates were rolling around in bed together. It was annoying.

"Well, maybe next time, we could beat them to the punch and have sex here before they do." He was being a little mischievous, but he was also testing the waters to see if she was okay with it.

Hinata sighed and moved around in his arms, which caused him to bite back a groan as her backside was nestled comfortably against his crotch. The blue haired girl half-turned to give him a sultry grin. "Tell you what, you take me out for dinner tomorrow night and we'll celebrate right here, in your dorm room. Deal?"

Naruto smirked and gave her a light kiss. "Sounds like the perfect recipe for revenge. I _knew_ I always liked you, Hinata."

She grinned and replied, "Right back at ya, Naruto."


End file.
